Menoculayshunal; Becoming "Onamoured"

There are many ways to travel. If one is simply passing through, there's an argument for reading up in advance, knowing the basics of what to expect of a culture, then observing it as if by 'virtual experience.' Shop for souvenirs and snap the shots to prove presence; move on. The ultimate touristic state. 

Onam Ashamsakal!

Then there is active participation according to what is offered by those cultures. This allows us insights, but not necessarily deep or correct understanding. The immersive touristic state. Over a lifetime of travel, I have observed that more and more people are prepared to enter the second state - though the culture of social media still tends to dominate and thus the "been there, done that, got the shots, moving on" sub-culture remains.

Going to live in a place, you would think, might change these attitudes. However, it is not always the case. Sadly, I have witnessed the colonial mentality in different continents, whereby residents hosted by a country have little or no respect for it, the native residents or the culture they exhibit. This was never something from which I suffered. Indeed, when others have been with me, they have occasionally been aghast at my desire and ability to learn and adjust to cultural differences - even if that has only been within seemingly similar places on the European continent! 

Why this preamble? Well, I believe one of the best ways of engaging and truly learning about a culture is to get fully involved. Yes, one can put on the clothes, wear the headdresses, ornament with the relevant items - but does one FEEL it? Is the culture understood? Is it possible to feel part of it?

A stranger in a strange land will ever be so if they are not prepared to overcome their own shyness, social ineptitude, prejudices... whatever it is that is holding them back from having fun. Obviously, language is a key avenue of entry to a culture. Still, another of the best ways to break into a lifestyle so different from one's own is by participating in social celebrations and festivals. At Sandeepany, there was no way to avoid this! And talk about being thrown in at the deep end. Even as I was flying into Mumbai, the plane from Abu Dhabi was packed with migrant workers going home for Krishna Janmashtami. Although landing on that day, there were no celebrations at the ashram - I was a week early and was actually the first student to arrive. Festival over, most of the others came within the next two days. 

We had barely been dressed in our safed kapade (white clothes) before the next festival arrived. This was not an 'opt-in if you wish to attend' function. Oh no. This was a 'here is how we do it, and this is your task' version of a festive occasion. As were all subsequent occasions. That first festival experience at the ashram was Onam. I discovered an appreciation for such things in a manner hardly ever experienced in similar situations in my own background.

India is the land of festivals. There are some which are national. In the thirty-six territories that make up India, each also has its own particular festivals and variations on the national ones. Broadly speaking, there are two main categories. Harvest festivals - which also tend to be celebrated as 'new year'; then holy festivals of each of the faith traditions of Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Hinduism. Sometimes there are correlations between festivals (different names, same purpose and similar timing). Anyway... three weeks into this new life, I was up to my elbows in different tasks... banana leaf prep, table prep, pookalam...

Onam is celebrated by the people of Kerala each year, from August to September, according to lunar timing. It is a major harvest festival and marks the first month of the Malayalam calendar known as Chingam. 

This year, it began on Thursday, August 12th, and will end today, Monday, August 23rd. 

The main celebration (feasting!) took place on the 21st.

According to mythology, King Mahabali, the king of Kerala, defeated the gods and began ruling over all three worlds (earth, heaven and the space between). During his reign, the local people saw the best of times; prosperity and grandeur ruled everywhere. The Gods were insecure about King Mahabali’s popularity and asked Lord Vishnu to step in and help contain Mahabali. Lord Vishnu emerged as  Vamana and tricked the King. He offered that as much land as he could cover in three strides would be his and no longer for the king to rule over. Mahabali thought this was no loss at all from a child-sized brahmachari. However, Vamana surprised the king by transforming to immense size and taking only two steps to encompass earth to heaven. Seeing this, the king, a devotee of Vishnu, understood and offered his head for the third step. Thereafter, King Mahabali, his land lost to the Lord, was sent to the underworld; but Vishnu also granted him a wish to visit his land once every year. Onam celebrates this homecoming of the King.

Now, most of you reading here probably think, "quaint" or things along those lines. One or two might be intrigued and wondering how the king's return relates to the harvest festival aspect.  Permit me to unpack this a little.  Remember, in all fables, there are lessons!

The first thing to note is that the king was a popular leader because there was peace and stability in the land, and all the people prospered. Without the stability he brought, there may not have been the room to farm and harvest to the same extent. Second, this was as egalitarian and complete a society as any could wish for by all accounts. Thus we are given an example of what can be achieved with the right person at the helm. The society created was balanced and joyful and built on tolerance... once he'd dealt with all the interfering factors - the 'small gods' who created mischief, unrest, and division. This meant war, so it did not come about without some cost. Third, harvest is one of the great times of togetherness. Harvest brings everyone in to help - or it used to. In reaping the rewards of our labours, we cannot help but celebrate, enjoy the fruits both economically (profit), physically (food), spiritually (self-esteem).  In India, still a largely agrarian society, this remains very pertinent. In the west, most of us live very far removed from all such activity. The harvest festival is now consigned only to the church and not a celebration of wider society, proper distribution of sustenance among the people. This brings one to the subtler message of the legend. Even the best of leaders must be humble. To some degree, Mahabali had forgotten this fact and was therefore easily duped. 

When I was helping soften the leaves, to lay the decorations, to light the lamps; as I listened to the chants and chatter and memories of my fellow students of earlier festivals, I felt more alive, more involved and more connected to an event than I could recall ever having done before. Even the festivals I'd shared back in Sydney had not struck me so deeply. Already I was becoming enamoured of the culture in which I had chosen to live.

t.b.c...